Afghanistan Tag

Originally published on CEASEFIRE.
By Aisha Maniar
On 5 October 2012, British citizens Babar Ahmad and Talha Ahsan lost their battle against extradition to the US on charges of alleged web-related support for insurgents in Chechnya and Afghanistan during the 1990s. Their arguments rested on claims that pre-trial and possible post-trial imprisonment in the US would be tantamount to cruel and degrading treatment.
Appearing before a Connecticut court on 6 October, both men denied all charges against them. They have since been held in pre-trial solitary confinement at the Northern Correctional Institute in Connecticut,

“We need to have an ‘American spring’… nonviolent change where people from the grassroots get involved again.” – Former Vice President Al Gore, August 2011
We’re hungry for a movement. Faith and moral communities around the globe are tired of politics that maintain the status quo. Here in the U.S., a rising generation is finding brave new ways to channel moral vision into action: we’re marching in the streets for immigration reform, holding the banner of marriage equality, pushing back on anti-Muslim rhetoric, and demanding an end to

Anyone who knows about the aftermath of 9/11 will remember the story of Balbir Singh Sodhi. A turbaned Sikh man, he was the first person murdered in a hate crime in response to 9/11. It called national attention to anti-Muslim violence and galvanized action from all corners. In Arizona, where three thousand people attended the memorial, the legislature honored Sodhi on the state’s 9/11 Memorial.
His story has never been disputed. Until now.
This month, Arizona Representative John Kavanagh introduced a bill that would remove Sodhi’s name from the

Omar Khadr's war crimes trial begins this month in a courtroom I remember well. Last October, I traveled to Guantanamo to report on a hearing in the military commissions for Khadr, the young Canadian citizen who allegedly threw a grenade that killed a soldier in Afghanistan. I witnessed a courtroom where rules are twisted to favor the accusers. I had hoped that the Obama Administration would decide to place Khadr in federal court and end military commissions on Guantanamo, as promised on the campaign trail. Instead, Guantanamo

It is the eve of the fourth anniversary of September 11, the event that changed the world for many people and shifted the entire course of my life. In the aftermath of 9/11, I journeyed across America with my camera, documenting stories of hate violence against minority communities, including my own. Now four years later, I am a graduate student making a feature film about my journey. Still consumed by these stories and their questions, I traveled with my film crew to revisit Ground Zero on August

About Valarie

Valarie Kaur is a seasoned civil rights activist, award-winning filmmaker, lawyer, faith leader, and founder of The Revolutionary Love Project. She harnesses love as a shared practice to fight for social justice. She believes “the way we make change is just as important as the change we make.”

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